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Here’s Why You Should Spend $800 On A Fly Rod

Nobody needs an $800 rod for fly fishing. Even for the hardcore angler, that sum would be better spent on a couple of casting lessons or guided trips, to say nothing of college tuitions and 401(k)s.

But the Orvis Helios 2 is a magic wand of sorts, a wisp of carbon-fiber that excels at two things:

• Deftly delivering a glorified piece of pocket lint through 60 yards of wind. Making a person forget the definition of “need.”
• It is regarded by many as the finest casting rod ever made.

Orvis leaned heavily on the aeronautics industry to develop the Helios 2. A list of the rod’s ingredients makes it sound like a very long, skinny space shuttle: unidirectional graphite scrim, nano-silica polymers, thermoplastic epoxy, and ceramic-lined titanium. These materials—and the way Orvis pieces them together—stretch the laws of physics a fair bit. The rod is both featherweight and really difficult to snap, flexible but strong enough to shoot line into a stiff wind or horse a striped bass out from under a pier.

The 5-weight version spans 10 feet and is about as heavy as a large egg. It’s also gorgeous: a deep lustrous blue, tapering away from a grip of blond cork and a burled wood rod seat that would not look out of place in the musical instruments wing of the Met.

With about 35 feet of line out, the Helios 2 feels like most fly rods, albeit lighter and a bit stiffer. As it casts farther, the rod starts to warm up, slinging line effortlessly, like a well-hit line drive. What’s also notable is what doesn’t happen: The tip doesn’t rattle or whip outside where you want it to go. (The rod is a more reliable tool than your casting arm, by far.)


Still, like most luxury products, the value of the Helios 2 far outstrips its pragmatism. It will not catch four times more fish than a $200 rod or cast four times farther. It’s expensive because it is a pinnacle of craftsmanship and technology. It costs more because of what went into it, not necessarily what you get out of it.

It took me a couple of years to buy a Helios 2, but an afternoon on the Delaware River in upstate New York in August sealed it. The fish—big, spooky brown trout—were always just a little farther, the wind a little stronger. My longtime fishing buddy passed me his Helios. One 17-inch fish later and I was in the shop by day's end. When I started casting for striped bass on the piers of Brooklyn a few weeks later, the 5-weight rod held its own, despite being at least two sizes smaller than ideal.

The Sell

Many of the 4 million or so fly anglers in America want a Helios 2, but none of them needs one. Here's how to convince yourself to splurge on it.

Start by making a list of all the lavish things you dream about owning. A ski chalet, an air-cooled Porsche, maybe even a more expensive fly rod, like the “heirloom quality” bamboo models Orvis pieces together. Don’t buy any of them.

Behavioral economists call these things anchors. On one end of the spectrum, $800 is a $2,500 retirement nest egg, if invested modestly for 20 years. In the middle, it’s a new iPhone. And at the extreme other end of the spectrum, it’s a dirt cheap toy—at least relative to a condo in St. Moritz. This is where you want to drop your anchor.

Next, I recommend you borrow a Helios 2. Be sure to do it near great fishing water during stellar conditions, so you’ll be sure to catch some fish. Most top-flight fly shops keep a demo or two around that they will be glad to lend out, particularly to those who stock up on flies and tip their guides well.

 

A photo posted by @orvispittsburgh on


Catch some fish with the rod. Take some pictures. Make one the home screen on your phone.

Finally, tell yourself that if you buy a Helios 2, you’ll go fishing more often. You won’t be wrong about this. After all, you’ll need to amortize the thing. 
 

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